Improvement of Motor Skills in Physically Handicapped Children After Inclusion

Motor abilities can be defined as innate and enduring. Motor skills, however, can be learned and developed through repetition. Combining a number of motor abilities develops these motor skills, and with practice these skills become perfected. In children, these skills are unfamiliar at first, but once used in everyday and recreational activities, they become ordinary and effortless. However, some children are born with less developed motor abilities, and some skills never become natural and effortless; these individuals are characterized as physically handicapped. The result of combining these lower-level abilities creates an inferior level of motor skills in physically handicapped children. Therefore these children will never be at quite the same level as those children with normal motor abilities.

For this reason, some handicapped children are not able to participate at the same level of physical activity as their peers. Kasser, Collier, and Solava (1997) address the consequences of this lack of involvement: "The resultant inactivity negatively affects developing children in many ways, especially their physical health" (p. 50). Kasser, et al. (1997) suggests inclusion as a solution to this issue, and mentions the pos

In many situations, handicapped children are left out of regular physical education classes because of the stigma attached to the population. However, ideas such as lasting fitness, an increased self-concept, and practicing or performing a motor skill in an environment that is moving (and not exceedingly stable and repetitive) can be attained by including the physically handicapped child in a regular physical education class.

A second benefit to learning sport-specific skills would be that it is an all-purpose play activity that can be used in shared situations (Kasser, et al., 1997). By understanding the basic concepts of a sport, such as dribbling, catching, or throwing, the handicapped student has the ability to become involved in what his or her peers are doing on the playground or out of school. My sister, for example, did not grasp or attain many sport skills in elementary or middle school because she was not included in certain regular physical education classes. Therefore, when there was an opportunity out of school or on the playground to be involved with her peers, she was not included because she was not able to do any of those skills attributed to the activity.

collaborative effort. Journal of Physical Education, Research, and Dance (68).

Lastly, a benefit to grasping a sport-specific skill is that it enables the individual to be active throughout their lifetime (Kasser, et al., 1997). Some handicapped individuals may not have the same opportunities for physical activity as they had during their school days. And since these students can only be in the public school environment until the age of 21, there is a large portion of that individual's lifetime left for the living. If these sport specific skills can be acquired through inclusion in regular physical education classes, then the likelihood of an active and